This invention relates to an apparatus for reading or storing measured temperature values displayed by an electronic clinical thermometer, and for outputting read temperature display values to an external unit together with patient identifying information.
One example of a sterilizable electronic clinical thermometer is a so-called "one-piece" electronic clinical thermometer. In order to enhance the quality of its seal, such a thermometer does not possess a connector or the like for connection to external equipment. Consequently, after one-piece electronic clinical thermometers have been used to measure the temperatures of a number of patients at a hospital or the like, the temperature values of the respective patients are recorded in a notebook or the like by a nurse. This is a troublesome operation and invites clerical error in terms of writing down the temperature values if a large number of patients are involved.
Even if an arrangement is adopted in which a one-piece electronic clinical thermometer is provided with a connector for connection to external equipment and the temperature data are transmitted to the external equipment via the connector, labor is required to connect a large number of such thermometers to the external equipment. As a result, the temperature data cannot be converted into a machine processable form efficiently.